Healthier Hair and Scalp with Viviscal Shampoo and Conditioner- #Review

This post is brought to you by Viviscal. All thoughts expressed are my own.

I am blessed (and cursed) to have very thick hair. I can’t remember ever getting my hair cut without being told by the stylist how insanely thick it was, and commenting that they cut off more of my hair (even in trims) than all of their clientele that day combined. Unfortunately, however, I also have very, VERY dry hair and scalp, and in this past year have had a horrible problem with peeling. At first I thought it was dandruff but after asking my stylist about it I was told it’s just so horribly dry it was peeling- almost like a sunburn. This wasn’t a surprise to me, as my skin as a whole has always been very dry. Living in a very dry climate probably doesn’t help that either. But I digress.

I’ve never had the peeling happen until recently, and it’s been quite embarrassing to me. Unfortunately I’ve been unsure of how to treat it. My stylist recommended taking fish oil pills and that seemed to help a bit, but it still didn’t fix the problem enough to make me happy. So I started doing more research…

I have always used inexpensive shampoos and conditioners that I can buy at any big box store and never realized that the ingredients in them could be perpetuating my dry scalp. A very common chemical is used in most of those shampoos and conditioners- sodium lauryl sulfate or sodium laureth sulfate (SLS/SLES)- and can dry out hair and scalp. I decided I needed to find a good SLS/SLES free shampoo and conditioner.

Ironically, I received an email a few days later asking if I’d be interested in reviewing Viviscal products. Upon checking out their website I decided a review of their shampoo and conditioner would be perfect!

At Viviscal, we understand hair. The Viviscal Hair Growth and Hair Care Programs provide a variety of ways to nourish your hair from the inside out, and the outside in. A clean and conditioned scalp is essential for healthy hair.

I learned that Viviscal shampoo and Viviscal conditioner are both SLS/SLES free, natural hair care products and was more than ready to try them out. They’re almost completely derived from natural sources, and good for all hair types including dry, damaged, color-treated, fine or thin hair.

The Gentle Shampoo is free from Parabens, and Artificial Colors and Artificial Fragrances. The unique Multifruit Extract gently exfoliates to remove dead skin cells from the scalp, while Panthenol conditions the scalp and helps keep hair strong and healthy.

The Viviscal Moisturizing Conditioner is an ultra light conditioner. It contains Argan and Hazelnut Oils to soften, nourish and condition the scalp and hair, as well as Creatine to help improve the smoothness, volume and the ‘feel’ of hair.

The Viviscal shampoo and conditioner both have a pleasant, minty smell to them. It’s different than the fruity and floral scents I normally use, but I’ve found I like them just as much. Which is good, because- seriously- smell is as important to me as any benefits it may offer me. Who wants stinky hair?

Before I started using these products I decided I was going to stop taking the fish oil pills so I could get a true result from the products.

Being as this was my first experience with SLS/SLES free shampoo and conditioner I was a bit surprised. The consistency of the shampoo is very watery, so between that and my thick hair it seems to take a lot of shampoo in one sitting to fully cover my hair. The lather isn’t very soapy, but I’m told that’s common with SLS/SLES free products so I didn’t worry as much. And my hair definitely felt clean (almost squeaky clean, actually) so I went with it. Problem is, due to using so much at a time the bottle I received is 3/4 gone after less than 2 months of use; and I only wash my hair every 2-4 days to help with the dryness.

The conditioner is also far different than any I’ve used before. It takes a lot of conditioner to fully cover my hair, and even then I felt like I needed to follow up with my old brand conditioner to properly soften and detangle my hair. I started just using the Viviscal conditioner on only my scalp and then using my old conditioner on the rest of my hair to prevent from going through the entire bottle of Viviscal so fast. Despite that, the conditioner is also nearly 3/4 gone.

Viviscal shampoo and conditioner are sold at $19.99 each for a 6.7 fl oz bottle, which is at least three times more money than I pay for three times the amount of shampoo and conditioner. At that price, going through the bottles in 2 months time makes me hyperventilate a bit.

However, I’ve been using them for almost 2 months now and have noticed that my dry scalp has significantly improved. Significantly. Where I used to have flakes constantly falling from my scalp, I barely ever even see a flake anymore. I expect further use will eliminate the issue completely. And when thinking about it I realized many people spend hundreds of dollars a year on the products that do their skin and hair the most good, so it’s likely that if I want a product that is going to give me the results I need and want, I’m going to have to pay a bit more. I can’t just get that out of the cheap products I can buy at any grocery or big box store. And in the long run, healthy hair and boosted confidence is worth the extra money, any day.

If celebrity endorsements are your thing, Gwyneth Paltrow uses Viviscal products and loves them. Additionally, they offer a 90 day money back guarantee, so you’re not out anything if you end up not liking it.

I was also sent the Hair and Scalp Serum. Viviscal Hair and Scalp Serum maintains a healthy scalp, is a 100% drug free, topical hair solution specifically developed to promote the appearance of thicker, fuller looking hair. I haven’t used it because-as I mentioned before- I have crazy thick hair. However, I have a few family members who could benefit from this. 😉

I have very thick hair too girl so you are not alone! I will be honest celeb endorsements arent my thing…could care less if Gweneth Paltrow uses this I like your genuine review – blogger reviews will always be more authentic than a celeb!

I may have to give this shampoo and conditioner a try. I dont much have thick hair anymore as it is breeaking it is so dry! I like the way you have described your experiences with the product I hadnt heard of it before.

I live in a dry climate, so I need a shampoo that is very moisturizing, but wont strip my hair while cleaning it. Been using the Somaluxe Clarifying Shampoo for 2 months now – its very moisturizing and perfect for dry weather climate. It gives my hair this bouncy young look